US stock market opens lower

NEW YORK (AA) – The stock market opened lower with losses Monday to begin the new week and the month with losses as investors await the fate of Deutsche Bank.

The Dow Jones was down 76 points to begin the day at 18,231 and the S&P lost eight points to start at 2,159. The Nasdaq lost 14 points to open at 5,297.

Investors are watching closely the U.S. Department of Justice probe into Deutsche Bank and its mortgage-related activities prior to the 2008 financial crisis.

The German banking giant could face a fine of $14 billion, which could trigger a bankruptcy like Lehman Brothers during the crisis.

Deutsche Bank said last month it was not in a position to pay such an amount, while experts think the bank could, however, settle for less.

Until a settlement is reached, investors are keeping away from risky assets in the market, causing a sell-off in Wall Street indexes, according to analysts.